Caroline Portu

Overview

Hello world! My name is Caroline Portu, and I'm a singer-songwriter/actress/comedienne living the gypsy lifestyle between Boston and NYC!

I’ve been performing professionally in the greater Boston area since I was nineteen: in big band ensembles, jazz quartets, local bars, and at a LOT of weddings and corporate events. After studying philosophy in college I realized how much I loved writing, learning, and creating. I started putting two and two together and BAM, songwriting happened!

My material is at the ready and we have musicians waiting in the wings! This Indiegogo campaign is the final step toward creating my first-ever professionally produced studio album.

Story

Hey there! I'm Ben Rabb, an Indie-Folk Singer/Songwriter based in Los Angeles after recently moving from New York City.

Growing up, my family moved around a lot, and I’ve lived in many different cities around the country. A constant for me has always been songwriting, performing, and ultimately, telling stories. That all culminated about two years ago when I released my debut EP, “Until It’s Gone.” Since then, so much has happened: I’ve received press reviews, international and national radio play, and have had the opportunity to play festivals and tours all around the US. Perhaps most notably, I’ve been able to leave my day job and pursue music full time. All of this was made possible by first Indiegogo Campaign, which funded my EP, “Until It’s Gone,” with the help of many generous backers.

Now, I’m back on Indiegogo to raise funds for a new album to continue this momentum, capture the new material I’ve been working on, to share it with you and hopefully, many more folks around the world. This past January & February I went on my biggest tour yet, and while in Boston I headed into the studio (Plaid Dog Recording) with my Producer Mike Davidson to record the first single off the album. I made this recording to give you a taste of the record to come.

The songs are ready to go and this campaign is the final step toward creating my next studio album!

This campaign is raising funds for my new studio album with Mike Davidson at his studio Plaid Dog Recording. Mike produced my last album, "Until It's Gone," and has 15+ years of experience working with established and up-and-coming artists. Mike did a fantastic job with my last record and I'm really excited to have him on a board again, along with some really talented musicians to bring this project to life. Together, Mike and I will go through all my material, collaborating on arrangements and instrumentation, and will ultimately hit the studio to make the best possible album for you.

When I stopped in Boston during my tour, Mike and I recorded the first single, "The Fight," off my new album, which you can listen to now for free on this page (below). "The Fight" is a great example of this new album I'll be able to make with your support if this campaign is successful. It reflects my growth as a writer and artist over the past few years and I hope you like it as much as I do.

While I was able to fund the recording process for "The Fight" on my own, to create an album of songs with this quality, studio time costs add up quickly. With that said, this campaign can give us a unique opportunity to collaborate and make great art together. Your donation will cover following costs of my project:

1. Pre-Production: This is where everything starts. Mike and I sit down to start crafting the arrangements for each of the songs that will go on the album. Here, we create a rough sketch of each song, mapping out structure and arrangement, which helps me, Mike, and the musicians better envision our goals for each song before we start recording.

2. Recording: This is when we enter the studio and start capturing the music and where the songs become what you'll hear on this album. We'll have some amazing musicians to record drums, piano, bass, electric guitar and any other instrument that will add the perfect texture to these songs.

3. Mixing & Mastering:Each track will get mixed to create the right balance between instruments, texture and color that make up a track. As a final step, the album will be mastered from beginning to end, so the listening experience is cohesive and carefully choreographed from start to finish.

This campaign will have a meaningful and huge impact on the next steps in my career. With my recent move from NYC to LA and transition to doing music full time, I'm at a pivotal moment in my career. After going on my most recent and most expansive tour, I realized how much I love everything about this job: I love writing and performing; I love being in the studio, and I absolutely love being on the road.

This campaign is ultimately the defining factor as to the sustainability of this job and whether or not I can continue to focus on music full-time. Being able to do so, as you might imagine, dramatically increases my chances for success. Not only is your contribution going towards a new album for you to enjoy, but it’s allowing me to continue the momentum I’ve built so far and to reach new heights. I’m so close to this plateau; a little support from a lot of you generous people will make this project and my future a reality.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

The Works + Join us for a day in the studio and help us record a song on our album. If you’re not local to the boston area, you can join us virtually and give us feedback on the recording process as we work throughout the day.